The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced its plans to hold an esports festival at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul during this year’s League of Legends (LoL) World Championship final. The aim is to promote the city as a hub for esports.
The LoL World Championship is one of the most popular esports tournaments globally, attracting thousands of attendees at the venue and millions of concurrent viewers online. Last year’s final saw 18,000 spectators and 5.15 million viewers.
Seoul, the host city for the tournament, anticipates a large turnout of both local and international esports fans. To mark the occasion, the city will set up facilities at Gwanghwamun Square to allow attendees to play games developed by Riot Games, enjoy a music concert, and watch the LoL World Championship final game live on November 19.
The decision to hold the event at the city’s center was made following a business agreement signed between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Riot Games. Deputy Mayor of the Economic Policy Division, Kim Tae-kyoon, highlighted the significance of Gwanghwamun Square, stating that the event would introduce Seoul’s charm to a global audience while providing an opportunity for people to experience various cultures.
In addition to the final, the city will host the tournament’s Play-In-Stage and Swiss Stage in October at multiple venues across Seoul. The Play-In-Stage will take place at LoL Park, while the Swiss Stage will be held at KBS Arena. The knockout stage, consisting of quarterfinals and semifinals, will be held in Busan at the Sajik Indoor Gymnasium. Finally, the world final, a best-of-five match, will be hosted at the Gocheok Sky Dome on November 19.
Lee Jung-hoon, Secretary General of League of Legends Champions Korea, expressed gratitude for Seoul’s cooperation in hosting the event, noting that the final at Gocheok Sky Dome would be the first major esports event held at the iconic Gwanghwamun Square venue.
The tournament’s schedule was slightly delayed this year to accommodate the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where League of Legends is one of the seven esports titles to be competed.
Sources:
– LoL World Championship 2023 poster, Seoul Metropolitan Government
– Paik Ji-hwan and Jim Bulley, “Seoul gears up for League of Legends championships”, The Korea JoongAng Daily
